"He chose to go to the park. He chose to take the gun with him and load it," Whitney said. "All of those decisions came back to take Celena Hollis' life."

Denver police officers sat among Hollis' family and friends in the packed courtroom Friday. Trembling hands wiped away tears, and the sound of quiet sobs blended with the soft, scratchy echo of police radios.

Brawny officers bowed their heads and wrapped their arms around fellow officers and Hollis' family. Those who were not dressed in uniform wore T-shirts with Hollis' photo and name scrawled across the front.

Hollis' mother, Dorothy Hollis, took a moment to steady herself before she spoke in a strong, heartfelt cadence, asking for the maximum sentence.

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"She was such a wonderful mother, wonderful friend, wonderful daughter," Dorothy Hollis said. "But for this senseless crime, he must pay to the fullest extent of the law."

"I'm asking you to give him the same opportunity he gave my daughter," Dorothy Hollis said. "She would have given her life that same day if he was in trouble."

But Oliver's family and attorneys described his longtime battle to stay out of gangs, and said that the gun Oliver, then 21, brought to the park that night was to protect himself — not to harm anyone else.

A receipt showing Oliver had completed a gun-safety class was found on his dresser after he was arrested.

When a group of men attacked Oliver, defense attorneys said, Oliver fired four random shots into the crowded park. Two bullets dug into the ground. One was found on a nearby rooftop. The fourth shot traveled 88 yards before it hit and killed Hollis, who was rushing to break up the fight.

During the hearing Oliver, now 22, asked for forgiveness from Hollis' family, the Denver Police Department and the community.

"I understand if you can't," Oliver said. "I know it's hard because I still have trouble forgiving myself."

Denver Police Chief Robert White said he knows a conviction cannot provide loved ones with closure, but hopes that Oliver's sentence might bring the Hollis family "a little closer to comfort."

"There is no justice for someone who loses their life senselessly," White said.

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